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Soaps and detergents: What are they and where did they come from?

The American Cleaning Institute describes the history of soaps and detergents starting with the ancient Babylonians, who left clay jars containing a mixture of ashes and animal fat, the ingredients of soap. The Romans bathed but the medieval Europeans did not; their filth facilitated the spread of disease. In the Renaissance, soap was taxed as a luxury item, but by 1850, it was mass-produced and considered an essential housekeeping tool. Germany developed detergents, which are chemically synthesized surfactants, in 1916 in response to a lack of raw materials caused by World War I. Today, detergents have largely replaced soap for most cleaning needs.

Irene E. McDermott

Irene McDermott is a writer and librarian in California. Read her latest book, The Internet Book of Life, available through Amazon and the publisher: http://books.infotoday.com/books/Internet-Book-of-Life.shtml